A second language to learn
by tiniestTimaeus
Summary: "Don't go, sir." "I won't."


_A mission goes wrong. There's something in his eyes- he's bleeding too much, too fast, he can hear the heavy footsteps and the whirring of 3DMG. His face burns with blood and tears- he can't see where Levi is, what's happening. Then that familiar voice speaks to him so sweet, so beautiful. "I love you." He thinks it's Corporal's scream when he feels more wetness on his face, splattering messily and leaving his mouth with a bitter taste. But no, it's his own, because he now knows what's happened and he's gone. Corporal Levi is gone, and so is his right to see. He can still hear something soft in the air, a whisper that Eren has to strain his ears to hear._

"We'll meet again."

Eren doesn't think he hears it in his voice, but he does. "Don't go,"

_01001001 00100000 01101110 01100101 01100101 01100100 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00101110_

He sounds so broken, the voice of his tone sharp like broken glass. He thinks it's like looking through water, the murky darkness stretching out the limits of his vision. He's drowning in black, fingers stretching to reach something- anything.

_01001001 01011100 00100111 01101101 00100000 01110011 01100011 01100001 01110010 01100101 01100100 00101110_

He tries to breath but he can't, blood rushing harshly in his ears as he repeats himself more firmly. "Don't go." His fingers brush something smooth and cold. Ice. He tries to scream for him, but he's already turning around and leaving. Eren doesn't think. He brings his fist down. One, two, three, four times. It cracks.

_01001001 00100000 01101100 01101111 01110110 01100101 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00101110_

As soon as he gets his fingers into the ridges and the ice falls away, he's sitting up in a cold sweat. He's in his room. He can't remember what his dream was about. His fists are in the sheets, chest heaving harshly as the warm summer light peeks through his curtains. The back of his shirt is sticking to his skin uncomfortably and he leans back to bask in the silence. The ceiling fan makes no noise as it turns, the curtains don't sway even though the window is open.

Something is wrong.

When his vision is black again he knows what it is and he's screaming, screaming too loud and his throat burns. He can only feel the tears rolling down his cheeks and it takes him ten minutes to find his cane, tipped over and handle tucked beneath his bed. He feels safer with the polished wood under his fingers and he slowly gets up.

It's twenty minutes before Eren is dressed, save for the awkward fumbling of feeling for the button of his jeans. His sunglasses rest on the nightstand and Eren finds them promptly from memory, knees shaking as he exits his room.

It's 30 minutes before Eren is properly fed by his hired caretaker, who had grown used to Eren's jumbled sobs when he awakes from a new nightmare. The cereal tastes bitter on his tongue and he leaves the bowl half full. He bids his caretaker farewell and finds the door.

The moment he steps foot outside of his house, numbers flash in his head and his feet are on autopilot.

_00110011 00110111 00110000 00110101 00100000 01000011 01101000 01100101 01110010 01110010 01111001 01101111 01100001 01101011 00100000 01000100 01010010 00100000 01001110 01000101_

It's his address, whoever he is. The he in his dreams. The he Eren knows. The he from another life.

It's 40 minutes when he reaches his doorstep, knuckles frozen against the wood. It opens quickly before Eren can find it in him to move, and someone makes a disgruntled noise.

_01011001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01101110 01100101 01100101 01100100 00100000 01101000 01101001 01101101 00101110 00100000 01011001 01101111 01110101 01011100 00100111 01110010 01100101 00100000 01110011 01100011 01100001 01110010 01100101 01100100 00101110 00100000 01011001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01101100 01101111 01110110 01100101 00100000 01101000 01101001 01101101 00101110_

The numbers repeat over and over again and Eren's mind goes blank. He feels a hand press against his chest and he gasps, stumbling a few steps back as he pushed. There's a heavy pause in the air, and he could practically feel the mans stare on him.

"Eren?"

_01001100 01100001 01101110 01100011 01100101 00100000 01000011 01101111 01110010 01110000 01101111 01110010 01100001 01101100 00101100 00100000 01110011 01101001 01110010 00101110 00100000 01001101 01111001 00100000 01100100 01100101 01100001 01110010 00101100 00100000 01101101 01111001 00100000 01110011 01110111 01100101 01100101 01110100 00101100 00100000 01101000 01101111 01110111 00100000 01001001 00100000 01101101 01101001 01110011 01110011 01100101 01100100 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01110011 01101111 00101110_

"Sir, don't go."

"I won't."

Eren has waited a whole lifetime to hear that adoring tone in his voice, velvety smooth and leaving him lightheaded. He spent years of his life with something missing, more than just his sight, and here it was.

Eren finds out that the softness of Levi's lips leave them both breathless and he can't help but laugh. Levi just kicks him.


End file.
